New Orleans native and fashion-industry hopeful Neesa Peterson interned at Lancôme and Gucci before having a career epiphany: “I wanted to work in an environment that makes people happy and comfortable.” In Peterson’s mind, that meant trafficking in something like ice cream or cupcakes, only a little more offbeat. So for the next three months — with an option to extend the lease — she’ll be concocting New Orleans–style snowballs in the West Village storefront previously occupied by Birdbath bakery. Snowballs, to bring you up to speed on shaved-ice terminology, are much fluffier than snow cones, doused with sweet syrups and sipped through a straw. Peterson has 33 flavors on tap, from Mardi Gras King Cake to Tiger Blood, and stays on theme with Zapp’s potato chips, Community Coffee’s New Orleans blend, and Nectar cream soda, a lunch-counter treat that the city’s K&B pharmacy made famous.
Imperial Woodpecker Sno-balls, 145 Seventh Avenue S., at Charles Street
Grub Street